How do I create a movable paper puppet where the fasteners can only be seen on the back of the doll?

Question

Most paper puppets i've come across use fasteners such as brads, but they can be seen from the front as well. Here's an example http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_fOUL6EnleRs/SsYYxV_u4LI/AAAAAAAAAm0/yfONUxYphmI/s400/IMG_1161.JPG. However recently I discovered this stop motion animation where the fasteners could not be seen on the front of the puppet, http://vimeo.com/26085766. As you can see around 2:16 the artist has used some kind of fastener that's only connected at the back of the paper doll.
I've spend the last 2 days trying to find answers on the internet but with no luck.
I hope someone can give me an idea of how to achieve this?

Answer 1

Hello, I'm an artist who makes paper puppets. I don't know how this artist made the paper fasteners invisible, but here are some ideas of how I would do it if I didn't want them to be seen:



1-glue the head of the paper fastener to back of the top paper piece then attached it through a hole in the second piece that you're trying to attach together. A strong glue that can attach metal and paper would be best and there are glues out there that can do it. Here's one which I'd like to try, but haven't yet. It's also acid free.



http://www.createforless.com/Scotch+Adhesive+Quick+Dry+Acid-Free+2oz/pid95604.aspx?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=cse&cagpspn=pla&CAWELAID=1439822786&catargetid=1552981983&gclid=CODq6fP0rLcCFadxQgodFQYAjg



2-The second way I can think of which would take more time to do is to glue a paper "loop" to back of the top piece that has the paper fastener attached through a hole in the middle of this paper loop. Then attached it to the second piece through a hole too. In a way, you'd be gluing the paper fastener to the back of the top piece with a piece of paper. Hope that makes sense.



I liked the look of having the paper fasteners invisible, so I might have to try it this way some time.



Thanks so much. I hope that helps you.



My website is: www.artistinlalaland.com

Answer 2

This one had me stumped a little too. Somehow I think the pieces are attached together with (more than likely) thin fishing line or some other thin thread. This is just a guess really because you're right, there's nothing perceptible at the front.



Did you try contacting the film maker directly? That's the only way to know for sure...



The thing is that with film, it's very easy to hide things. If you're doing shadow puppets and are projecting light through the puppet from the back, having visible fasteners won't necessarily matter. This is because the light doesn't pass through the puppet at all (depending on what materials you use). It's only when you light the puppet from the front, or when you're using very translucent materials, that the joints will be seen.



If you're needing this technique for front-lit puppets though... yeah, I'm not entirely sure how to get it done. One idea is that you could attach something on the back of the paper/cardstock to which you can then thread through to the next piece. Ie. on the back of one piece, glue the end of a thin thread (say, strong fishing line) near the pivot point. Then make a small hole in the next piece where you need a pivot point, and thread the line through, knotting it off at the back. The thread is therefore going *through* the second piece of the puppet, but not the first. You'd have to use some decent tape though, to prevent the whole thing falling apart due to lack of stickiness on the tape...

Answer 3

Movable Paper Dolls